ACU and TWU Come Together for the #BeRelevant Classic

This past weekend, the Grand Canyon State Gridiron Club (GCSGC) brought the Arizona Christian University and Texas Wesleyan University football teams together for the inaugural #BeRelevant Classic – a bowl game experience for the two National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) programs.

The #BeRelevant Classic included serving the Phoenix community, joint team dinners, commemorative jersey patches and ceremonial activities on game day.

The day before kick-off, 150 Firestorm and Ram football players packed more than 56,580 meals at St. Mary’s Foodbank and six players visited the Phoenix Veterans Hospital to deliver Chick-Fil-A Paradise Valley to veterans and staff.

Game day commenced with a special recognition of the American armed services with a World World II Douglas C-46 Skytrain flying overhead. The ACU Choir, directed by Dr. Kira Rugen, lead the ensemble performance of the national anthem.

The Firestorm came out on top, defeating the Rams 36-29 in a tight game that came down to the last play. At the end of the night, the teams shook hands and prayed together.

“The #BeRelevant Classic was a great experience for everyone involved,” Head Coach, Jeff Bowen says, “We were proud of the way our team and Texas Wesleyan were able to reach out to the community in a joint effort. The bowl experience provided by the Grand Canyon State Gridiron Club was exceptional for all involved. We were excited and fortunate to come out on top of a hard fought 36-29 game. We look forward to participating in future #BeRelevant Classics as the GCSGC brings small college football exposure to the Valley of the Sun. The nationally ranked Firestorm play an exciting brand of football, and we hope to continue to build our brand throughout the state of Arizona and the country. Roll Storm!”

The Firestorm Football team will be on the road the next two weeks and then will return to take on Langston University at home on Oct. 13.